Just Sofia
by dolphin456
Summary: Sofia is chosen to be educated in the palace for a year in hopes of being selected as Prince James' bride
1. Chapter 1

Sup y'all. Welcome to my new story. I just have one thing to say, and that's that no negativity will be welcome in the comments section. You don't like my story, don't read it.

Prologue - Sofia

For some reason I have always wanted to be chosen. I have always hoped that I would be the right age, that I would be chosen for the Princess Selection. And I have always, always prayed that the new princess would be chosen from Dunwitty.

Mom was elated the day the letter came. I had answered the weak knock at our cottage door to a scrawny little messenger boy. I plucked the creamy white envelope from his hand and traced my finger over the royal seal over and over again. Flipping over the paper l looked over the royal decree

Their Majesties King Roland the Second and Queen Anne

Hereby command that all eligible young ladies of the village of Dunwitty between the ages of 14 and 17 to come to the castle on January the first. and be educated as a possible bride for His Royal Highness Crown Prince James, who will choose his bride in a year's time

Reading the letter over and over, I thought about meeting the prince, marrying the prince, and maybe being the queen of Enchancia. I was snapped out of my little daydream by the little messenger's open palm. I absentmindedly dropped three coins into his palm and shut the door. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach at the thought of leaving home and suddenly all my elation evaporated.

" Why not, honey?'' Mom asked after I'd shown her the letter and confessed about my cold feet. I shrugged.

" That's not a very good reason," she clucked. " And besides, it's a win win situation. If the prince chooses you, you'll get married and we'll live comfortably. If you lose, you'll have something most people in our village don't: an education." I rolled my eyes. Mom laughed.

" Go on then. Sof. Don't sit around all day being lazy. You're not a princess yet"

Mom's words lingered in my mind.

" You're not a princess yet"

Yet


	2. Journey

Chapter 1

The morning of January 1st was bitterly cold. The past winter had been harsh and the new year was proving to be no better. Regardless of the weather though, the entire village was out in the streets waiting to send off the 10 girls to the castle. Main street was flooded with people huddling together for warmth. I, however was inside the snug little cottage waiting for mom. She looked up from packing the little bundle of belongings I had with tears in her eyes. I stood up and wrapped my arms around her.

" I can't believe I won't see you again for a year." she hiccupped. Families were not allowed to visit the girls in the castle.

" You'll see me again next year," I promised confidently. " The prince is not going to choose me. I'll be back.''

I took the bag of belongings and wrapped my fur shawl around myself. I knew I'd need to be confident for mom, but my insides had turned to jelly. I knew that all the other girls would be wearing their best dresses, but they lived in one of the houses in town and not in a little cottage in the woods. My best dress was made of green cotton with long sleeves and a white apron. It was nothing fancy, and on my feet I wore the simple boots everyone in the village wore. I thought I looked pretty enough, but I knew that I was no match for the other girls, and especially not Lady Elsie, the daughter of the local nobleman. I turned and hugged mom one last time, long and strong, before she pulled away and pushed me towards the door.

" You're going to be late," she said. I opened the door and stepped confidently outside with mom on my heels. Hunger rumbled in my belly. I had not had time to eat even a simple breakfast, what with all the preparations. Mom and I walked down the path in silence until the time came for us to part. We hugged again, and tears rolled down both hers and my cheeks. She turned to go back to the cottage and I continues my walk into town. A cart draped with furs was waiting on Main Street. Mr. Henshaw, my friend Ruby's father, was driving. None of the other girls had made a move to get into the cart, so I looked around at my competition. Aside from Lady Elsie, who was waiting in a carriage, there was June Dunn, the daughter of the shoemaker, Anna Dunn, her twin sister, Mai Abbot, the dressmaker's daughter, Caroline Sweetwater, Lila Witherspoon, Dana Johns, Ruby Henshaw, and Jade Radzwich. We stood in silence, looking around at each other, nobody making the effort to introduce herself. Besides, we all knew each other, anyway. As soon as the village clock struck 8:30, we all piled ourselves into the cart. Somebody shouted, " They're leaving!" And each and every villager screamed goodbyes. As we started down the street toward the palace, Lila said,

" I hope we all know that we don't stand a chance against Little Miss Rich Girl in there," Lila jerked her thumb behind her, indicating that she meant Elsie. This won her glares from all the other girls in out cart.

" She's right" I agreed. It was true. Who would choose to marry a rough, backwards village girl when they could marry an aristocrat? This earned me even more glare, but a grateful smile from Lila. The rest of the ride was spent in silence. I turned in my seat to get a glimpse of the townspeople, who made it obvious that they were rooting for Elsie. Each person held up a sign that read Princess Elsie. I felt a fire burning in my stomach, and a bigger determination to beat Elsie.

Elsie

From my seat in the carriage, I waved to the crowd outside. They were all rooting for me, of course. Daddy had arranged that. But I hoped that the prince, if he chose me, would love me for me, and not because Daddy bribed him. My father has wanted a path to he throne for ages, and as soon as he heard the new princess would be chosen from Dunwitty, we left our home in the outskirts of Enchancia and moved here. He sees this as his opportunity to elevate his status from Earl to Duke, and is going to stop at nothing to get it. Mother and I don't think this is a good idea, because as soon as the officials in he palace find out I'm a fraud, they'll have to send me home. I've been to the castle many times, to attend each and every one of the brat Princess Amber's balls and parties, soirees and sleepovers, so the route we take is familiar to me. I wished at that moment that I was riding in the cart with the other girls instead of in here, even though it's freezing outside. I know they all think I'm going to be haughty and stuck up and all that. But I'm not. It's not fair

Sofia Again

The winding path up to the castle is absolutely beautiful. The snow on the tree branches looks like something off of a Christmas card and the path is made of cobblestones and is really rocky. All of us smile at each other as we are jostled and rocked about. I almost forget about the biting cold for a minute. I bump into Ruby on one side, Jade on the other, and at one point I'm lurched forward and land on the cart floor. Every one laughs, including myself. I smile. The future holds a whole lot of promise


	3. Chapter 3

Sofia's POV

The first thing I hear as we roll through the castle gates is trumpets. Not the kind of trumpets used in normal music, but the long trumpets used by heralds that play fanfares. The trumpets continue to blare even as the royal family emerges at the entrance, wrapped in furs. King Roland stands in the center, dressed in red, medals adorning his chest and the black sash across it. His crown sits majestically on his head, although his shoulders slump under it's obvious weight. Queen Anne, standing to the king's right, is dressed in a purple dress trimmed at the sleeves and collar with fur. Her hair is pulled back into a severe bun topped with a jeweled tiara. Princess Matilda, the king's sister, is wearing blue, as not to overshadow the queen. She wears no tiara. Prince James and Princess Amber are hidden from view behind the senior members of the family, so I turn my attention to the castle. It's a typical fairytale castle, with towers and a moat and bustling with servants. Each of us file out of the cart with unplanned military precision and make our clumsy curtsies. I hear a fan flick open and a snicker. A footman, at the king's nod, rushes to help Lady Elsie out of her carriage. I stare as a pretty blonde girl dressed in pale pink steps out gracefully and curtsies to exactly the right depth. And then I get my first glimpse of Princess Amber. She pushes past her father and aunt and runs at the Lady.

" I remember you, Elsie, darling!"

" Amber," the king scolds. The Princess ignores her father.

Lady Elsie steps back and wrinkles her nose.

" I am honored, Your Highness. But I'm afraid I do not remember you." Amber steps back.

" It was not worth risking my dignity." The Princess flounces back to her place. Nobody dares to laugh.

" Well, ladies," the king clears his throat. " You are all here for the chance to marry my son James. Twelve of you entered, but only one of you can win. You will be tutored by my wife, sister, and daughter for one year, after which my son must choose a bride. That being said, here are the rules.

# 1. Be respectful that this is the home of the royal family, and that you are guests

# 2. Respect the servants

# 3. Stay in your room after curfew

# 4. Do not skip class

# 5. Anyone who skips class will be sent home

# 6. No roommate switching

# 7. Do not address members of the royal family by their first name

# 8. Please remember that the recreational areas are a privilege.

# 9. No romantic relationships with anyone in the palace excluding the prince.

# 10. Do whatever the royal women say."

At this the Queen touched the king's shoulder.

" I have the honor of announcing the roommates. Ruby, you will room with Dana Johns. June and Anna Dunn are together. Jade, you are to be with Caroline. Lila will room with Mai. Sofie, you're with Lady Elsie."

Oh, great. I get stuck with the snotty aristocrat.

Elsie raises her hand.

" Excuse me, Your Majesty, but I believe my roommate is called Sofia?" She glances sideways at me. I nod. She looks at Queen Anne, blushing crimson, and nods. Queen Anne quickly grabs ahold of herself.

" Bring your bags and follow, my daughter, Princess Amber Marie." Each girl picks up her bag and trails after the Princess. There is no sign of Prince James.

Within minutes, Elsie and I are settled in our room. We sit in silence until a sharp rap at the door makes us both jump. We giggle nervously at each other. The door creaks open.

" When someone knocks, you answer." states the haughty servant at the door. Elsie and I wipe the smiles off of our faces. " I am Baileywick, castle steward. I run the show around here, not you. No bossing the servants, you may only ask them things. They are above you, after all," he says, looking at me.

" You are dismissed, Sir Baileywick," Elsie says sharply.

" Why do you always stick up for me?" I ask after he leaves.

" Because I am making an effort to make friends," she snaps. " Take my offer or leave it."

" Offer taken"

" Fine." She smiles. " Elsie."

" Sofia."

"Are you sure it's not Sofie?' she asks, referring to the Queen's mistake.

" Yes." I reply solemnly. We burst out giggling.

The next morning

Elsie POV

" I am Princess Amber, your tutor for the month of January," . The Princess strides in to the room and we all stand and curtsy. So begins our first lesson on royalty. Regardless of what these other girls think, I have no advantage over them. I may have had a better education, but when it comes to royal life, I'm just as clueless as they.

" I assume you all know how to read," Amber says from the front of the classroom. She looks to me and smiles, hoping to share a spiteful joke with me. I look down. I'm not nearly as snotty as she. I, for one, actually respect each and every girl in this room for what they and their parents do. It doesn't matter what the royal family thinks, the people are the ones who actually run this country. They work their butts off for the upper class and expect nothing in return. Each and every village is run by a mayor and works like a clock. The royal household is just a continuation of tradition and a waste of money. Not that I'm going to tell anyone this. Except maybe Sofia, but she's sitting on the other side of the room next to Ruby and Jade. Truth be told, Sofia is the only real friend I have. Last night we stayed up way too late talking quietly about everything under the sun, going to sleep only after we saw that it was past midnight. She's a sweet girl, but even though we became fast friends, this is not a stage where we confide our deepest secrets. Princess Amber stands at the front of the classroom droning about something the etiquette observed by the royal family… or something like that all morning. The Queen pops in around ten to see what progress we're making, but is gone within five minutes. I watch the clock, only half listening to Amber's lesson, mixed with spiteful hints that she doesn't really want us here. I come close to falling asleep many times, kept awake only when Amber gives us a test in the afternoon. I look down at the questions and sigh. It's going to be a long month.

TBC

AN: Hello again, my lovely readers! I am so relieved this chapter is finally done after the hectic couple months I didn't update. So, my plan for the chapters is to go by month, giving each month chapter two parts, switching between the POVs that you choose. So by the time this story is done, it should have 26 chapters, including the prologue and epilogue. The chapters are going to get either longer or shorter depending on which people you want to hear from and how many you want to hear from. If you want the story to just revolve around Sofia and Elsie, that's fine too. Reply in the comments section about your opinion or PM me, if that's easier. I want this to be a story you guys like and want to read.

Thank you,

Dolphin456 :)


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